IRISH CYCLIST MARTYN Irvine expressed both relief and delight after winning two medals – a gold and a silver – at the Track Cycling World Championships in Minsk yesterday.

Speaking in reaction to his triumph, a “wrecked” Irvine told RTE 2fm show Game On that he was relieved to have recovered from a disappointing London 2012.

“Never say never pays off eventually,” he said, in reference to his post-2012 Games form.

The cyclist also dismissed suggestions that he had altered his style drastically following the Olympics, and added:

“I can’t see anything changing. I’m still going to stick to the same plan.

“It just builds a bit of character when you get brought down and you learn from every mistake.”

He also indicated that more funding needs to go towards track cycling in future, asserting that “Ireland has loads of talent. And the weather doesn’t exactly encourage road cycling.”

And despite his astonishing achievement, Irvine said he’d have little time to bask in his victory

“[There's] no rest, I’ll be racing in Taiwan in a couple of weeks,” he explained.

In addition, he said that yesterday’s other high-profile news regarding the Giro d’Italia coming to Ireland was another positive step for cycling in this country.

“It’s awesome. People need to appreciate the sport and that’s one of the biggest reasons [why they will].”

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